Mild anal incontinence, which may present as flatal incontinence and/or fecal incontinence, often results from sphincter muscle damage associated with childbirth and/or deterioration of the sphincter muscle with age. Patients exhibiting mild anal incontinence also often present with pelvic organ prolapse, particularly posterior vaginal wall prolapse, with may result in a descent of the rectum into the vagina, referred to as a “rectocele”.
One surgical method of treating mild anal incontinence is to dissect and identify the external anal sphincter muscle, and then to bundle and repair the muscle with end-to-end muscle fibre alignment or “waistcoating” overlap of muscle fibres. These procedures, however, are relatively invasive and involve significant tissue dissection. Post-operative pain and hospital stays are also associated with this procedure.